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The surname Bell may derive from the French bel, meaning fair , beautiful, or handsome. Since the derivation is descriptive, common ancestry cannot be assumed for all those bearing the surname. The name was sometimes taken from the sign of an inn or shop. The sign of a bell was frequently used - "John at the Bell" became "John Bell."
Origin: There is no particular country or province of origin, though the name was fairly prevalent in medieval Scotland, Ireland, and England.
Sources:
- http://genealogy.about.com/od/surname_meaning/p/bell.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_%28surname%29
This Bell name is short for Bellarusse, the part of East Europe that that family emigrated from. The name was Turetsky, but was changed when the first son, Alex, entered the United States. The family legend says that the officials were not able to spell Turetsky . They asked Uncle Alex where his mother came from. When he said Bellarusse they changed it to Bell. All of the brothers , when they entered the US, took the name Bell, but the brother who moved to Israel kept the name Turetsky. I believe there were 5 brothers and 2 sisters.